“I commend the students and their supporters for courageously speaking out against the Maduro regime that seeks to undermine democracy and violate human rights,” said Ros-Lehtinen, who along with Representative Albio Sires (D-NJ) introduced bipartisan legislation, House Resolution 1687 – Countering ALBA Act of 2013, urging the President to sanction persons of ALBA nations, who the President determines are responsible for serious human rights abuses against citizens of ALBA countries. The bill also directs the Secretary of State to transmit a comprehensive strategy to ensure that ALBA nations are democratic governments committed to making constitutional changes that would ensure regular free and fair elections and the full enjoyment of basic civil liberties and human rights by the citizens of ALBA countries; and have made demonstrable progress in establishing independent judiciaries and electoral councils.” target=”_blank”>U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, asked Secretary of State John Kerry to reduce oil imports from Venezuela and to direct the Permanent U.S. Representative at the Organization of American State (OAS) to call for a special session to discuss the ongoing Venezuelan crisis.
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“I commend the students and their supporters for courageously speaking out against the Maduro regime that seeks to undermine democracy and violate human rights,” said Ros-Lehtinen, who along with Representative Albio Sires (D-NJ) introduced bipartisan legislation, House Resolution 1687 – Countering ALBA Act of 2013, urging the President to sanction persons of ALBA nations, who the President determines are responsible for serious human rights abuses against citizens of ALBA countries.

The bill also directs the Secretary of State to transmit a comprehensive strategy to ensure that ALBA nations are democratic governments committed to making constitutional changes that would ensure regular free and fair elections and the full enjoyment of basic civil liberties and human rights by the citizens of ALBA countries; and have made demonstrable progress in establishing independent judiciaries and electoral councils.

The protests are not just about inflation, scarcity and poverty that now characterize the Venezuelan economy but also about repression and lack of freedom.

In addition, it is about the soul of the Venezuelan nation. Demonstrators have become totally convinced that there is no electoral exit to a regime that turns more and more oppressive as time goes by. Maduro, like Hugo Chavez before him, aims at perpetuating his power and exercising total control over the Venezuelan state and society. The Venezuelan Government secured the loyalty of the military to its despotic rule and has repressed trade unions, the media, business and professional associations. It politicized every corner of Venezuela rewarding loyalist and sycophants and destroying, exiling and blocking opponents.

The military has no problem in watching how Venezuelans are being killed by the paramilitary. As Venezuelan journalist Nelson Bocaranda revealed more than a year ago, Venezuelan and Cuban generals agreed that they would protect the Bolivarian government even by carrying out a self-coup.

11:00AM:NTN24 reports some power outages, Metro stations are closed, an opposition crowd is gathering at Plaza Brión while waiting for Leopoldo López, surrounded by police. Oil industry union members are being bused in for a Chavista counter-demonstration.

Comments

Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen’s call for embargo could be disastrous to about 10 U.S. Gulf Coast refiners until Keystone XL is completed. Canadian and Venezuelan crudes are similar and in quantities not really found elsewhere in the world. These refineries are configured for very heavy and heavy crude oil. Any change would affect their ability to operate at capacity as well as having to declare force majeure on certain products. Gasoline production DOESN’T MAKE ANY PROFIT these days.

I fully agree – Maduro has to be taken down, and hard. It’s unfortunate that Chavez died before he could suffer that humiliation, and even worse that Fidel will likely slip away before Communist Cuba falls.

It’s intriguing to me though that in the photo at top, showing Lopez under arrest as he is taken away in the helicopter, he is talking on the helicopter’s radio. The state police have a strangely loose interpretation of what it means to place a political opponent under apprehension.

In the 1980’s Reagan had Saudi Arabia increase oil production to drop the price and hurt the USSR’s cash cow. Why can’t we allow Keystone XL to be completed to kill Venezuela’s cash cow? Canadian heavy blend and Venezuelan crudes are all the same type of crude oil which are used by several very major Gulf Coast refineries. Other crude oils cannot economically replace them.

Wow.
I’ll remember Venezuela in my prayers.
Keep up the good work, personal crisis have been keeping me from following political issues but this is important.
I’ll keep you and your(?) nation in my prayers, I hope you don’t mind Protestant ones.